The Food People at An Evening of Flavour

I was recently enticed all the way across London in heat wave temperatures to hear about London’s food trends and sample a selection of John Quilter’s recipes using Loyd Grossman sauces. As I exited Old Street tube station, dripping with discomfort following a long, airless tube journey, I hoped the evening would prove worthwhile. As I sat, chilled espresso martini in hand, listening to Charles Banks pronounce on London’s food trends, I forgot the make up sliding down my face for a while. Self-lubricating, re-energised thanks to the caffeine in hand, this was my kind of event – educational and not just about stuffing one’s face whilst murmuring an appreciative ‘ah, delicious’.

Charles Banks is co-founder of the agency known as Food People. It consults on food trends, working with clients to build product and strategy appropriate to the current market. These folk know their onions, in a literal sense. Here’s the Food People’s breakdown of what’s hot on the London food scene right now:

Trends include American and Mediterranean food. Neither are new to London, but both are ramping up their volume a notch. Diner food like burgers and hot dogs has never been so gourmet. Chase them down with bubbly or bourbon cocktail, or think gimlet for an All-American experience. As for nosh from the Med, it’s expanding its perimeter and becoming more aware of seasonality. Recent TV jaunts around the area see chefs waving their whisks amidst the landscapes of the ancients. Given the delights of Mediterranean produce coupled with animated cuisiniers and the landscapes that wanderlust is made of, it’s little wonder that the food of the Med is seeing a revival, an update and a resurgence of popularity.

Mash ups are essentially the creative merger of two meal concepts with unexpected results. Nacho lasagne uses layers of nacho chips and cheese to replace the usual pasta layer. A ramen burger places the meat pattie between buns made of compressed noodles; and soup with mac ‘n’ cheese sees a dollop of the latter dunked into the former.

More styles see Small Plate Dining coming to the fore. The idea is to order a lot of small plates to share. The popularity of cicchetti-inspired eateries and Peruvian restaurants with an accent on small quantities with big flavour is where the appeal lies. It’s also far from being a burden on the waistline.

Dude Food is a style for the carnivore. Think meat, spice and the fire turned way up.

Everyday Food Done Better is where you take an everyday homemade meal and play around with the ingredients to make it same same but different. Think cheese on toast but replace your classic cheddar with gorgonzola and garnish with fresh pear. Or take fried chicken and add some Korean influence – a touch of sesame, a cup of gochujang – for a different taste entirely.

According to the Food People’s research, the trending flavour for 2014 is chilli. There certainly seem to be more colours, flavours and varieties available than ever before. My tip: get a selection and experiment with them at home so you know your jalapeño from your habanero.

Future flavours are predicted as being Persian, Israeli and Greek. This excites me. All things cardamom and saffron, chickpea and spice. Who said Falafel?

Fusing Flavour and Format is where you take the flavours of one cuisine and present them in the format of another. Think confit de canard with caramelised onions and chèvre presented burger-style in a brioche bun. Oh-so-very French, but within an American format.

Then there’s the developing trend for sensory restaurants. We’ve all heard about the one where there’s no light, in order to heighten the diner’s sense of taste. Well, now we’re seeing new concepts like the Edible Cinema, where you snack on particular items at key points during the screening of a film, each food relating directly to the current sequence and intended to add to the sensory experience, through taste, sound, sense and touch.